LEWISTON – Gerard R. Lajoie, 88, of Schooner Estates, Auburn, died Saturday, June 4, at Ste. Marguerite d’Youville Pavilion.

He was born in Lewiston, Jan. 10, 1917, the son of Joseph and Laure Levesque Lajoie. He was educated at St. Mary’s School, Eymard Seminary in Suffern, N.Y., and graduated from Lewiston High School in 1934.

He was married Aug. 13, 1938, to Juliette Tardif Lajoie. She predeceased him on Sept. 27, 2002.

He was a 40-year employee of the U.S. Postal Service, retiring in 1977 as assistant postmaster and was instrumental in opening the South Lewiston Station in 1962.

He was a member of the Auburn Catholic Community at St. Philip’s Church. As a member of Ste. Croix Parish, he had served as lector, eucharistic minister, cantor and was a longtime member of the church choir.

He volunteered for 25 years at Ste. Croix Parish Federal Credit Union, where he served two terms as president, resigning in 1986. He was also past president of Centre d’Heritage Franco-Americain and the Lewiston-Auburn Richelieu Club. He was a member of L’Association Canado-Americaine where he served as secretary-treasurer of Court Martel 54 and treasurer of the Comite Regional du Maine; member of the Knights of Columbus Council 106 and the Wallace Assembly Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus. He served six years on the Franco-American Festival Committee and wrote the French lyrics for the Festival de Joie theme song. Music was his life and he was a longtime member of L’Orpheon Choral Society, ABC Trio, which was popular during the ’40s and ’50s; director of the Knights of Columbus Choir; sang in the presentation of Community Little Theatre’s “La Veuve Joyeuse” and “Les Cloches de Corneville” and played the part of Monsieur Boucher in the musical production of the city of Lewiston’s 200th celebration, a movie depicting the lives of the Franco-American immigrants as they made their new home in Lewiston in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He also named the parking garage on Canal Street as the “Centre-Ville” Parking Garage when it was built.

He is survived by two daughters, Claudette Hebert of Vero Beach, Fla., and Suzanne James and husband, Peter, of Hampden, Mass.; a son, Gerard Lajoie Jr. of Auburn; three sisters, Lucille Terrio, Denise Lajoie and Florence Potvin and husband, Normand, all of Lewiston; eight grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Copy the Story Link